WASHINGTON: Today, the Air Force announced that it would establish a new Cyberspace command (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061102/tc_nm/arms_cyberspace_dc_3) out of Barksdale AFB in Louisiana. Its mission would presumably be to guard said cyberspace against the "Axis of Evil" and other "evildoers" as our government's leadership has characterized enemies in the recent past. However, it appears that the Air Force has gotten its signals crossed and is unaware that cyberspace is, in fact, not "real" space and that planes, rockets, missiles, etc. really have no effect on identity theft, web based communications, or other potential issues that occur on the Internet.
Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne noted that "...The threat is that a foe can mass forces that weaken the network that supports our operations." Still, Secretary Wynne seemed stymied when told that foes would not simply show up in cyberspace with tanks, guns, planes and traditional armaments to do battle. Indeed, when told that cybercrimes are typically undertaken by "hackers" that wage their wars from PC screens, Secretary Wynne asked the leader of the new command, Lt. Gen. Robert Elder, if this were actually true and if so, how his fleet of bombers and air-to-air missiles could possibly have an effect. Lt. General Elder quickly asked his staff to research the term "hacker" and sent a message to the Joint Chiefs asking if anyone else had encountered these foes within their commands.
Secretary Wynne also held out the option of attaching the Navy and Special Forces to the issues in cyberspace, noting that perhaps the SEALs or Rangers would be better equipped to venture into it.
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